Westron wynde is a fragment surviving in a single source, folio 5r of the British Library manuscript, Royal Appendix 58 (RA58). The manuscript is a commonplace book, a handwritten compilation of knowledge for an individual or household, in this case a collection of songs, instrumental pieces, church music and keyboard music, with contributions made by several professional musicians associated with the court of Henry VIII, and a much later insertion of folios of lute tablature. It was written collectively in various stages after 1507, with most of the pieces written between c. 1515 and 1540. Besides Westron wynde, the most well-known music in RA58 is the anonymous keyboard piece, My Lady Carey’s Dompe, and William Cornysh’s song, Blow thi hornne hunter. The single verse of Westron wynde as it appears in its sole source, Royal Appendix 58,

When Reve helps Janet Grant snuff the church’s candles one night and only the tallow she holds is left lit, he thinks: “This hurly-burly world, what was it suddenly but the fennel and goaty staleness of her breath, and a waxy umber that stopped and gave way to giddying dark before it even reached the door” (p. 231). How do darkness and reliance on candlelight add to this novel’s feeling of intensity and intimacy? Though Reve isn’t superstitious, one night he runs in terror to the church, afraid he’s seen a were-creature and imagining other horrors in the darkness. Though darkness was not strange to people in the fifteenth century, do you think it might have helped shape their imaginations? Where does your mind go when you’re in total darkness? This novel is set in 1491 in Oakham, a small Somerset village isolated by its position on a river, a river that the village has twice tried and failed to bridge, a village whose kindly but ineffectual Lord of the Manor Townsend is convinced can make money in poorly produced cheese as opposed to the wool trade which enriches the surrounding villages with their better transport links, and a village which ends up attracting a collection of misfits. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the “Settings & Account” section. What happens at the end of my trial? When read today, a modernized version of the song is utilized (see the analysis below). Variations of the poem or song can be found in many literary sources. For example, Ernest Hemingway utilizes it in his novel A Farewell to Arms published in 1929. Virginia Woolf, one of the most important English writers of the 20th-century, uses it in her novel The Waves in 1931.An immersive 15th-century mystery, Samantha Harvey’s The Western Wind explores the value and vagaries of faith and the nature of secrets: the ones we confess and the ones we hide even from ourselves. John Reve, spiritual advisor to the residents of the hardscrabble English village of Oakham, relates the story in reverse chronology over four days before Lent. It’s a structure that Harvey uses to good effect in deftly building quiet suspense. Reve’s superior, a rural dean, arrives in Oakham to investigate the drowning of Thomas Newman, a wealthy resident who was both admired and relied on by the community. Though Reve suggests the death was either accident or suicide, the dean is convinced that Newman was murdered, and determines to use what Reve hears in confession to uncover the guilty party. The mystery embedded in the novel reveals itself subtly but effectively. Ultimately, though, what lingers is a deep appreciation for the many contradictions of the human condition, and the awareness that, in that respect, little has changed since medieval times.” —Clara Boza, Malaprop’s Bookstore After Reve learns of Cecily Townshend’s affair and she closes her hands around his, he thinks: “Those lustful hands … A heavy ring on every finger can’t keep a woman to her husband” (p. 172), though he offers no real censure of the man with whom she has the affair. What are Reve’s attitudes toward women and relationships between men and women? Consider Sarah Spenser, his sister and mother, and the unnamed woman from his youth. How do each of them show independence of spirit? How does Reve’s view that God is testing him interfere with his relationships with women? Are Reve’s relationships with men healthier? Mac, Sam C. (December 6, 2022). " Slant Magazine 's 50 Best Songs of 2022". Slant Magazine . Retrieved February 21, 2023.

When Reve visits Newman’s house after he’s presumed drowned and sees that his pillow is barely dented, he thinks, “I couldn’t abide that a whole life should make such a faint impact” and dents it more deeply himself, then remembers the hurt Newman caused him and smooths the pillow, feeling grief in that gesture as well (“as if my hands had just destroyed the last remnant of him” [p. 268]). Does Reve’s wish for the outer or material world to reflect the inner or spiritual one lead him astray? Is Reve’s belief in his ability to recognize signs from God a danger to himself and others? Does his yearning for a clear sign suggest a weakness in his faith? When he decides to act “on the Lord’s behalf” (p. 287) and be the bearer of a sign, he compares his action to the Miracle Plays (medieval dramas that retold saints’ lives or biblical stories, and glorified God.) Is this a fair comparison?

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The Year of Our Lord, 1491. The hundred-or-so villagers of Oakham, in rural Somerset, are celebrating the raucous days of Carnival. This year, however, a tragic occurrence has cast a pall over the revelry. Thomas Newman has disappeared, likely carried away by the churning waters of the river which cuts of the village from the rest of the world. Newman was a relative newcomer to Oakham, having settled there upon the death of his wife and daughter. However, thanks to his financial clout, he acquired much of the surrounding land, meaning that most of the villagers depend upon him for their living. Moreover, despite his unorthodox ideas, he is considered a person bearing moral authority. His sudden death – whether through accident, murder or suicide – can only bring bad tidings to Oakham. Especially since the rural dean has descended on the village to investigate, and there are rumblings of monks setting their sights on Oakham’s fields. Geoffrey Chaucer wrote of the "swete breth" of Zephyrus, and a soft, gentle breeze may be referred to as a zephyr, as in William Shakespeare's Cymbeline (IV, ii): "They are as gentle/ As zephyrs blowing below the violet,/ Not wagging his sweet head."

century Oakham, in Somerset; a tiny village cut off by a big river with no bridge. When a man is swept away by the river in the early hours of Shrove Saturday, an explanation has to be found: accident, suicide or murder? The village priest, John Reve, is privy to many secrets in his role as confessor. But will he be able to unravel what happened to the victim, Thomas Newman, the wealthiest, most capable and industrious man in the village? And what will happen if he can’t?Harvey’s innovations electrify every word . . . [with] an educated and meditative voice, reminiscent of those deployed by great stylists such as WG Sebald, Claire Messud, John Banville and Joseph O’Neill . . . it is so intimate, so honest, so raw. Dear Thief provokes you to think about life, and Life, and your own life, the people in it as well as the ghosts.”—Claire Kilroy, Guardian The 16 th century song, Westron wynde, is an expression of longing to be with one’s love. It is just one verse and melody in a manuscript from the court of King Henry VIII. Much ink has been fancifully spilled over the meaning of its four lines. This article traces the history of its treatment through renaissance masses, folk music and 20 th century pop music; attempts to elucidate its meaning without fancy; and presents an arrangement to renaissance musical principles on bray harp.

The Wilderness is Samantha Harvey’s first novel, but it feels like a mature work, as well crafted and as cryptic.”— Bookforum The first recorded instance of the song was in a partbook from around 1530. But, some scholars believe that these lines are at least a couple hundred years older. The lyrics were originally transcribed by Charles Frey as:A] brave imagining of [Alzheimer’s] . . . Earlier in her life, Samantha Harvey studied philosophy, and that training is felt here . . . Every life is a mystery, Harvey seems to be saying, even to the one whose life it is.”—Sue Halpern, New York Times Book Review Jessica Kiang from Variety gave the film a positive review, writing, " The Wind doesn't seek to make infallible heroes of its women, but to understand and empathize with even their most unforgivable acts. And it's a hugely promising debut in terms of Tammi's steady, assured directorial craft." [9] Jordan Mintzer from The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a mostly positive review, writing, "Well-shot and edited, with a script that keeps you guessing for a certain stretch of time, The Wind doesn't quite sustain the tension through the final reel, resorting to eye-rolling scare tactics that go from serious to way too silly. Nonetheless, it's refreshing to see such an original stab at this type of indie genre-bender, especially one told from a strictly female point of view." [10] Promotional video game [ edit ] Percy Bysshe Shelley, whose literary career was marked with controversy due to his views on religion, atheism, socialism, and free love, is known as a talented lyrical poet and one of the major figures of English romanticism. Reve decides to implore the village to pray for a Western Wind – as a sign of God’s grace and favour on the village and to blow Newman through purgatory.